Is tradition worth defending? Today, MPs get back to work. But first they must have their own plans read to them by an old man on a gold chair. Some say Britain must modernise.
A golden throne, frills and trumpets
Plans: The King’s Speech today will list the laws the government hopes to pass in the first year of what Labour hopes will be a decade in charge. Glossary
Palace of Westminster - Where the UK's House of Commons and House of Lords meet.
Cravat - A band or scarf worn around the neck, similar to a tie.
Ebony - A hard, dark-coloured wood used for making furniture.
House of Commons - The democratically elected house of the UK Parliament. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament.
Keir Starmer - The leader of the UK Labour Party since 2020 and British prime minister since July 2024.
VAT - Short for value added tax. It is payable to the government by a business that sells an item. Essential items like food are zero-rated. Children’s clothes are also exceptions.
Landlords - People who own land or property and rent them out to tenants.
Hereditary peers - Members of the House of Lords who have inherited their position from their parents. There are currently 92 hereditary peers in the HoL.
House of Lords - In the UK, the upper chamber of the UK Parliament. It is made up of hereditary peers, the Lords Spiritual (bishops) and life peers.
Constitution - A document that sets out the fundamental rules according to which a country is governed, which are usually difficult to change.
Black Rod - In the UK, a House of Lords official who controls access to the House.
Treason - The crime of betraying your country.